Flex-isle door



(No Model.) i l l H. N. H; LUGRIN.

Y FLEXIBLE DOOR.

No.` 541,768. Patented'J-une 25, 1895.

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@WVM/meow limitan stares HCRATIO N.'H.` LIT-GRIN, OFWVORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS,

arnNr Corien.

AssieNoR, BY

COMPANY, joF PQRT'LAND, MAINE.

FLEx-ieLEoooe.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 541,768, dated. June 25, 1595.

Application filed April 14, 1890.

'Zo' all vwhom it may concern:

Be it known that'l, HORATIO N. H. LUGRIN,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Worcester,- in the county of Worcester and 5 State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Imfrovementin Flexible Doors,

of which the following is a specification, ref`- -erence being' had to the accompanying draw-- ings, forming a part of the specification, and

ze which represent a flexible door with the connected operative mechanism forming the subject of my invention. y

Figure l represents va front elevation of the flexible door, the casing upon one side being -r shown in sectional View in order to disclose the operative mechanism connected with the door. Fig. 2 represents asimilar View, but

showing the door as partly open. Fig. 3 is a 'horizontal sectional view-on line X X, Fig.'l.

zo Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional View of a portionof the flexible door, shown on line Z Z, Figgl, the parts being enlarged Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional viewon line Z Fig. 2. Fig. 6"is Van edge viewof the bars and flexible fabric of which the door is composed, the latter being shown in sectional View. Fig. 7 is a side view of the same, and Fig..8 is a perspective view of the metallic shoe placed-upon the ends of the wooden bars in the flexible 3c door. Fig. 9 represents an edge View of one ot' 4the parallel bars, showing the metallic band inserted therein and the flexible covering in sectional view. i Similar letters refer to similar, parts in the 3 5 diEerent figures.

My invention relates to a flexible door and it consists in certain improvements in the door itself, and also in-the construction and arrangement of the' operative mechanism-,by--

o which the door is opened and closed, as here-V inafter described-and specifically set forth in the claims.

'Referring to the drawings A, A, denotes the casing of the door which is broken away upon the left side of Figs. l and 2 in order to dis- "close the roll or shaft upon which the flexible door is rolled.

B denotes the flexible door which can be constructed in any of the known methods of l 5o making the flexible curtains employed in rollvface of the canvas, land at the free serai n1341894. (No man top desks, rollingv shutters and for similar uses, but which inthe accompanying drawings is represented as composed of a sheet of canvas B', or other suitable flexible material, upon one or both sides of which are glued, or otherwise attached the parallel strips or bars b2, preferably of wood, andcovering the su redge of the door'is a har B*` which is wider' and Y thicker than the bars B2, forming a stile, which 6o. serves as a support-for a truck-roll and for the attachment of the operative mechanism, by which the door is wound upon the roll or shaft as hereinafter described. 'Transversely to said bars,.in the present instance at right' 65 angles thereto, are bands of steel B3 placed between the canvas and the bars B2 upon one s'de.

The vparallel bars B2 are grooved as represented at B4, Fig. 9, the grooves being as deep 7o as the thickness of -the bands and of equal width, so the edges of the bands bearing against the side walls of the grooves aid in. preserving the position ofthe bars and maintaining their uniform -angle with the bands, B3.` The use of metallic bauds incorporated as acompouent part inthe construction'ot the flexible doorserves to prevent the parallel bars B2 from being separated by any-sharp. cutting instrument and an entrance thereby 8c eiected through the doorway when the door is closed. The metallic'bands are attached to the shaft or roll upon which the flexible cur tain or door is to be wound and at their opposi'te ends to the stile or bar Bl, thereby con- 8 5 nectiug the stile Bk'with the winding roll', or shaft, upon which the door is wound and caus ing the metallic bands BPl to receive the tensile str-ain incident tothe winding up of the door, as hereinafter described. These bands Bg can go be attached to each of the parallel wooden bars in any known manner, but for ordinary purposes ldeem it sullcient to i'nclose the bands between the parallel bars and the canvas and retain thelnfin position by the adhesion of the canvas to the surrounding surface of the bars B2.

C denotes a vertical pocket at o'neside of the door way, and included within the door casing C', C rco D is a shaft supported upon a step bearing D and journaled ina bearing D2 at its upper end,and carrying at its lower end the disk E and arranged along the shaft are the collars F, F, attached to the shaft, and npo'n whichA can be wounddirectly upon the shaft D, if preferred and as the7door is coilednpon the fiwinding roli, or shaft, D, its weight is supp Hported uponfthe disk E, upon which the lower edge of the door rests, as it is wound. At the upper end-of the shaft D is attached a helical I winding drum G, around which the chain Il V is wound-fas the door is nnwound from the shaft D.

H denotes a chain or cord, one end of which is wound-around the Vh elical drum and the opposite end is attached to a lug J attached t and projecting npwardfrom the flexible door B. The .helical'drurn G is preferably grooved to'receive the chain H and the successive coils of chain as it is woundiaround the drum are made to correspon-d in diameter with the successive coils of the flexible door as it is wound upon the shaft D, the chain H winding upon the drum as the door is being nnwonnd from the shaft and vice-versa. The chain is thus kept taut in every position of the door the action of closing the door causing the shaft D to rotate and wind the chain upon erably of metal, one end of which as the helical drum G, as fast as the door is being unwoundfroin the shaft D, and when't-hedeer-lis opened the stile B* is, pushed toward the pocket C drawing the chain H 0H the helical drum and causing the shaft D to'be rotated in the opposite direction, and to wind up the oor. A small pulley H is placed in the pocket H2 .above the door to change the direction of the motion of the chain H. A groove K in the upper casing receives the upper end of the door and communicates with the-'upper pocket H2, and the lower end of the door is heldfiemlateral displacement loy means of aslallnigroove K in the threshold, in which the lower end of the door enters.

A' roll K2 journaled in the lower end of the stile B* and running in the groove K supportsthe weight of 4the door at its free edge and sustains the lower edge of the door out of contact with the threshold. The ends of the parallel wooden bars-B2 are preferably cha'mferedor made V shaped and upon the ends are attached the strips, or shoes L,-pref at L Fig. 8, extends upward upon the parallel side, lof the strip, projecting laterally therefrom the. .thiclgness ofthe strip L and serving to hold ther-surfaces of the bars from contact and consequent abrasion as the successive coils of the door are being wound upon the shaft D, allowing the surface of the wooden bars to be finished and the finished surfaces to be preserved .from defacement in the operation of winding the door upon the shaft, Y

I do not conne myself to the specific form or' material of the parallel bars flneither do I confine myself to the form of the metallic hands B8 as wi re or wire cable can obviously b e employed in place of the flat steel'bands for the purpose-of 'receiving the tensile strain` in closingthe door. I considera fiat steel band preferable as it affprds an edge, which bearing against the sides ofV the grooves B4, affords a support transversely to the parallel bars B2,

center, which lis unsupported.

I do not confine myself to ythe particular form 'or material of the strip or shoe represented in Fig. 8, the essential feature of my invention relating thereto, consisting in formingnpon the'face or surface of the bars B2 of a projecting surface, which will-'corne into contact as the door is wound and thereby hold the surfaces of the bars B2 apart.

Although it is desirable that the flexible door B be moved across the opening'in the direction of its shortest diameter, or in the direction ofits width insteadxof its lengtlnasv it requires the shorter length of lchain to be wound upon the helical drum, yet it will be obvious that the essential features of my in-' vention, except, that relating to the use of the disk E by which the' weight of the door is supported, are equally applicable to the use of` a horizontal, instead lofa vertical shaft and prevents the sagging of` the door .inthpro IOO uponwhich the flexible door is wound. nIn

such an arrangement the' shaft upon which' thedoor is wound would be placed in the up per .pocket H2 and the chain H in a side or vertical pocket, the edges of the door moving in grooves in the sidecasings of the door. The lateral or horizontal movement of the door is however. preferable, as the weight of the door is supported by the roll K2 and the vertical shaft D and disk E. are of thin steel, which offers a minimum of resistance to the operation ofwinding the door uponthe shaft D and also secures an elasticity tothe door, which imparts a resilient tendency to assume a plane surface as it is being unwound.

The canvas or other flexible material to which the bars B2, areattached is attached at one edge to the collars F, F, and at its opposite edge to the stile Bl, so that the stile is operatively-connected with the roll, or shaft,D, independently of the metallic bands B3, and I do not therefore confine myself to the use of such metallic bands as, connecting the stile B* and roll, or shaft, D, but by the employment of a metallic connection between the stile B* and the roll, or shaft, upon which'the'body'of the door is wound, the tensile strain in closing the door is removed from the material of which the body is composed permitting a light and- The bands B3- bars and having their tion of a series of parallel bars provided with shallow transverse grooves to receive metallic bands, a series of metallic bands inserted in said grooves, and a flexible material attach ed to said bars and covering said metallicbands, substantially as described.

2. In a flexible door,orshutter, the combination of a Series of parallel bars united at their edges by a hinge joint and provided with transverse grooves to.` receive metallic bands and contin nous metallic bands inserted in said grooves, flush with thesurface of said parallel edges bearing against the edges of said grooves, said metallic bands being capable of bending in a horizontal plane, but rigid in a vertical plane,.whereby A said parallel bars are maintained at a uniform angle with said metallic-bauds,substantially as described.

3. The combination with a roll, or shaft, a flexible door or shutter attached at one edge to said roll or'shaftand composed of a flexible body and a series of 'parallel bars or strips attached to said exible body, and a series of plates projecting from the surface of said bars or strips, door or shutter is wound upon the'roll or shaft, and their surfaces kept from abrasion, substantially as described.

'4. The combination with a roll, orshaft of a flexible door, or shutter, attached at one edge te said roll, or Vshaft, and comprising a series of parallel bars, or strips, hir ged together at their'edgesvand a series of plates projecting from the surface of said bars, or strips, wherebythey are heid apart as' the door, or shutter, is wound upon the roll, or shaft, and their surfaces kept from abrasion, substantially as described.

` Dated the 9th day of April, 1890.

HORATIO N. I-L. LUGRIN.

. Witnesses;

' FREDERICK E. POLLARD, RUFUs B; FoWLER.

whereby they are held apart as the 

